Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| Katfeyrac |
Thank you for your reviews! I guess it's the second best thing to actually being there 
I really love the new photo of Alistair and Emily, it's absolutely adorable! |
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| riverdawn |
Thanks for the review!
I kind of wish he would notice. I swear, someone has to clue him in to how ridiculous he looks when he does those gestures. I'm really not averse to his singing. But the gesturing. 
I agree. I think his suicide is quite good, and getting better. There are moments in which I do wish he had more expression, but for the most part when he doesn't lose the tempo of the music, I'm relatively happy with him as Javert. Mind you, I don't have much comparison. I think I've only ever seen one other one, and I'm not even sure who it was.
I'm sort of happy about that one. I think I physically (though not audibly, of course) went "YESSS!!" after seeing that blocking on Monday, I loved it so so much. Ah.... it will be hard not being able to go and just reading the reviews. Though, of course, being home with my husband again after more than three months, more than makes up for the absence of barricade boys in my life. 
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| Elbow |
Just got back from tonight's performance, which will probably be the last one I go to before Christmas.
So, I'd been planning to go tonight for ages, because Jonathan was supposed to be on as Valjean. (Notice I say "supposed" to be...) I went in and looked at the understudies sheet and lo and behold the only understudy on was Greg for the Bishop. I then realised that that meant that not only was Bowman on for Valjean, Gavin was off, and I knew that Dugdale was off anyway so I was a bit sad. Joe Evans was also off, as was Thomas Camilleri. Greg was obviously covering Gavin, Mark Hedges was on for Dugdale and Killian was covering Joe and Thomas. Katy was on for Helen Owen. It was... not the strongest show ever. Emily sounded a bit ill, to be frank. I usually love her performance but she sounded like she could have done with a night off. Loads and loads of mixed up words and small bloopers. I can't even remember half of them. I think Janssens said "Now bring me prisoner FROO FOUR SIX OH ONE" which was a good start. There was a strange CLONK sound after the students died. I believe Martin Ball messed up a line in Javert's Arrival, but can't quite remember what it was. Oh, and the one that made me laugh the most was Bowman singing "The secret servant at his post once more!". Oh lulz. Bowman was odd today. In The Bargain he seemed to be highly amused the whole way through smirking and just being... generally arrogant. Not looking concerned for Cosette at all and just seeming generally not bothered by the whole situation. In the very last bow that they do at the end, rather than moving to the side of the stage with the others he stays on the stage soaking up the applause 
So, Thaxton was a bit lost without Gavin and Dugdale, although I actually think Mark Hedges was better tonight as Courfeyrac than I have seen him before. It was quite funny actually, I was watching him before "SHOOT THE BASTARD" and he was either smiling at Thaxton or he had the giggles. I think he had the giggles. I'm not sure why. It was quite funny though. I really enjoyed Nancy's OMO tonight. I have one really tiny bone to pick with Martin Neely's performance and that is how he says "And so the war was won". I'm not sure how that line is really meant to be said but I used to like the way Woodford did it. He said "And so the war was won!" as in "Yay! We're winning!" and David would come and reprimand him with "They will be back again, make an attack again" where as Neely says it questioningly and slightly sarcastically back to Jonathan. I'm not actually sure which is more true-to-brick. Whether Grantaire would be cynical about it or whether he would be "Yay! Battle's nearly over!" if that makes sense. But I think on stage I prefer Woodford's take on the line because it shows that Grantaire really isn't taking it awfully seriously until at least Drink With Me. Um um um... Oh, in Master of the House Killian shouted something about being sick in his mouth or something !? I only caught the tail end of that though, really. So yes, amusing show, but I was a tad disappointed at lack of Jonathan Williams Valjean
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| Eppie-Sue |
Oh no, how disappointing! I feel your pain, and I'm so sorry for you! No Jonathan!JVJ, and not even that - no Mark, no Gavin, no Joe, no Thomas... wow. But oh my God, you got Killianparnasse! Then again - the holy trinity of Enjolras, Combeferre and Courfeyrac simply isn't the same if one of them is off. And with both Gavin and Mark off (and Killian in none of their tracks), I suppose there was a giant lack of interaction?! Aww.
It sounds like quite a crazy show, really. Aw, you just made me feel less sad about missing Jonathan!JVJ because I'm back home, though - because, well, there was nothing to miss. But what a mess... why would they change it suddenly?! |
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| Quique |
They aired that Susan Boyle Story thing over here just now.
Is it just me or did anyone else find the ODM performance sorta cheesy/awkward/sugar-coated? And what the hell was the cast doing just standing there in the darkness? LOL. The fireworks/sparklers. XD One positive thing though...her rendition of IDAD was miles better than it was on Britain's Got Talent. But she sorta made me laugh (and not in a good way) when she whimpered at the end. Gosh this thing is so overblown. Oh, and throughout the ODM performance, something just seemed really off. I figured it was just the pre-recorded track they were using wasn't very loud and made the whole thing sound watered down. Then I realized it was the putrid Broadway revival orchestration. It's like ODM...but without balls. |
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| SnowWhite4518 |
I never saw her on Britain's Got Talent, but the way she chose to "act out" IDAD was ... interesting. That whole show was odd, anyway though. | ||||||||||
| aquirkofmatter |
I went tonight, too, and just got back to Portsmouth after an absolutely horrendous journey. Damn snow, pretty but horrific!
The answer to this is that Bowman changed his mind a couple of days ago; JW actually had friends/family in to see him tonight but unfortunately nothing could be done about it. I was disappointed because, after seeing the tour on Monday, I wanted to see a second great Valjean in one week (and with the prospect of a knee operation quite soon after Christmas it's not likely I'm going to see the show for a while). Jonathan says he'll be on next Tuesday afternoon [extra show, because there's not one next Friday] and both shows on Boxing Day. Although that's more a 'supposedly' and not a definitely, now... but I can't imagine the Boxing Day shows changing, tbh (extra-long weekend). The ensemble held the show together tonight - most of the principals seemed a bit all over the place, for some reason; fluffing lines, being out of time with the music, being a bit giggly... my personal 'favourite' was Bowman messing up in Fantine's arrest (blatantly out of time with the music, even if you'd never seen the show before), and then singing half a line into his hand, so you couldn't hear it! Even with four guys off and three swings, Killian did a great job with Joe and Thomas' tracks, and his Montparnasse is just fantastic. I eeem to be always singing his praises, but they are deserved!! And personally, I thought George was great tonight - but that was because I felt the Bamatabois on tour didn't compare to him; and his drunk is <3 Mark's 'SHOOT THE BASTARD!' was almost as good as his namesake's, but it was definitely the best I've seen him as coverCourfeyrac. That said, of course, the ensemble did have their moments, tonight. When Eponine arrives in DYHTPS Martin very nearly couldn't find Alistair because they were all a bit all over the place. I really can't warm to Bowman's Valjean at all. It's just smug and cocky and at the end of the Arrest when he squares up to Javert and straight into his face goes "I will see it done." he's just so rude and disrespectful and it makes me want to slap him. That and the crazycrazy. I really do like the new 'two four six oh OOOONE' at the end of Who Am I?, because he can at least handle the note and not end up ruining the whole song, (in fact, one person mid-stalls attempted to start applause but failed and ended up trailing out their solitary clap). His BHH, however, makes me uncomfortable, it sounds so forced; I just ensemble-watch. To be fair, I don't actually think I looked at him at all during the whole of the first half, at all.
I really enjoyed Stars, and I was hoping that I'd actually start to like HPJ a lot more - until Suicide, and it was all over the place. I don't know... he's got a great tone to his voice, but it's the pronunciation and the emphasis-in-the-wrong-places and meh. Emily did sound a bit ill, but in contrast I actually thought Alistair was great today. I didn't hear quite so much sheep, and ALFOR was heart-breaking, more due to his acting than just his singing. I've never sat in BB22 before (I'm normally in 8 or 7) and so I've never seen him, it's normally just Nancy. He was awesome; I tear-ed up a bit and just wanted to give him a hug! Even Empty Chairs was strong. Nancy was great, particularly with Killianparnasse. She's so fiesty! (She also looked like she wanted to smack Bowman-Valjean when she dropped the letter off, and I wholeheartedly agree/approve.) David had a quick giggle at the top of the barricade, just at the end of BHH, before quickly composing himself for the DoA.
Twas in The Robbery: "Wait a bit, know that face, ain't the world a remarkable face." followed by a slightly confused pause before he continued with the right lyrics. He was still great tonight - he seems to have a switch that flicks from sinister to comedic instantly. Lorraine was actually rather good tonight, too; Mme T seemed highly amused that Cosette got applause for CoaC. (But then she also fluffed in MOTH, so as not to be left out with everyone else.) I've probably waffled a bit too much, and not mentioned anything remotely relevant or review-like in the slightest. |
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| kemathenga |
If it comes to true-to-brick I think Grantaire would be both cynical -revolution iitself means nothing to him, or so he says - and relieved that "Battle's nearly over so I can go back to my drink". It's hard to say since Hugo doesn't grant him a place in the Battle at all. I bought two spy-glasses at ebay's. We'll be able to watch them real close (two weeks to go),  .
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| riverdawn |
Well, as I said in an earlier post, I actually quite like his take on things. I do think that Grantaire would have a sort of mixed feeling about the whole thing, so I like that there's a bit of a question mark at the end there. That being said, it does make it a bit confusing why Enjolras would then go to him and say "they can attack again", unless Enjolras does not quite understand sarcasm, which I suppose is possible in this instance, at least.
I'm pretty sure he was having quite a few giggles during that scene on Monday as well. He had his face covered because he does the whole "I'm sitting on the barricade, thinking intently" thing, so he hid it well However, his shoulders were all shaking as though he were trying not to laugh, and I was wondering why. Especially as at the specific moment I was also suppressing a giggle and shaking my head at Bowman's "crazy hand" move in "if I die..." |
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| Eppie-Sue |
... no giggles. Seriously, I was in D/C A1 on Monday, which is... directly in front of that half of the barricade and I'm kind of always watching the barricade boys. And as much as I'd like to go "Yeah, they all think it's ridiculous and are grinning to themselves", I'm sure they have more respect for fellow performers than that.
I dislike "They will be back again, make an attack again" for entirely different reasons - rhyming "again" with "again"?! Are we that desperate? |
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| riverdawn |
Oh, I totally didn't mean that he was giggling AT Bowman.
I'm sure he would never, ever do something that unprofessional. Not to mention, he was facing the opposite direction so he's not looking at Bowman and therefore would have no reason to giggle due to that. It just looked like there was a giggle over something, but as you were sitting higher up, I defer to your view. If you say there was no giggle, I'm sure you're right. |
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
It was certainly an ...interesting performance last night. I don't think I've much to add to what Elbow and aquirkofmatter have already said. I don't think I've ever been so glad for Nancy and David before though.
I think it was something like "I had lots of sick in my mouth but I swallowed it". Oh, Killian.
In the slow-mo in ODM he did his turning around thing and was clearly reaching for either a Courfeyrac or a Combeferre and neither of them were there, so he just ended up doing a slow-mo pirouette. He did seem a bit confused as to what to do without those two 
I have nothing against Greg, but he's not Gavin. If nothing else, he just doesn't look the part somehow. I can't see a round-faced bishop or Combeferre. Also, I really missed Gavin in the Wedding. Greg played the part as a moody old man and went around all hunched up and scowling, we didn't get Gavin's faces. And then when David took of his gloves to do the punching noise, Greg didn't seem to realise that David was meant to be hiding behind him (Gavin always gets really close and completely covers him) so David spent quite a while moving around so that he was always behind Greg, which looked very odd, and then when the time came he wasn't at all hidden, so he just put his hands behind Greg and looked like he was doing some silly dance. Twas amusing. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
In Kretzmer's defense, rhyme in English is considered after the last stressed syllable, so it's the back and attack that really count... but yeah, not the strongest rhyme in the show. 
Going to see it tomorrow night! Wow, that's trippy--here I am in Paris packin' my bags for a trip across the sea, and tomorrow (you'll be worlds awaaaay) I'll be at the Queens. Hadn't really thought about that--thought about planning stuff for my trip to London, including Les Mis tickets, and have spent most of today bustling around making last-minute preparations and not thinking much further ahead than getting on the train, and I never really put two and two together. I'M SEEIN' LES MIS TOMORROW. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Yes. Just yes. I know that feeling very well... I'm not going to lie, there have been quite a few performances where I've been so grateful to see them go and save the show for me. (I'm talking about the principals here, mostly, the ensemble makes up for a lot, too.)
Aw! I hate when that happens, it did two weeks ago, too, when Mark was off and Gavin suddenly was, too, when we got to "ODM". There just is this giant hole and there is no Combeferre there anymore, standing next to Enjolras and being alert and helpful, and no Courfeyrac and give out random hugs (or be hugged) and sulk around a bit only to make up and be fierce and very much into it. Something is missing. |
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| Quique |
Ablahsjhnfdverjgelrghibg hrfbbg
fwjbbR JFGEJBGEBABVEBVJF njkbnebjjbjb nvknn fmvfm Oh, don't mind me...just having a little freak out since...I JUST GOT PROMOTED. Which means I shall be saving my pennies and WILL be in London this time next year at the very latest but most likely this summer. OK, back to minor freak out... jdegbeug qrghouhguhb |
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| Eppie-Sue |
OH! Congrats! That's just awesome!
Being my usual biased self, I'll hope you'll manage before the end of June when the current cast is leaving, but hey! London! Les Mis! That should be great either way (without knowing the next cast)! Amazing. |
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
Congratulations, Quique, that's fantastic! I hope you get there before cast change, too, then this whole thread might make a bit more sense to you
Also, re: Martin's "and so the war is won", I think it's important to remember the context - it comes after others say "They're retreating!" and "Look how they turn and run" - I think he's being quite sarcastic, and the question mark in his delivery is a sort of "why are you so enthusiastic? We're all going to die anyway." Also, I have a few questions/comments about costumes. Does Lorraine have a new wig? It looks kind of poofier and more 'permed' than I remember it being. Also, has anyone else noticed that the symbols on Martin's (I've only just noticed there are 2 Martins in the cast!), David's and Gavin's stockings are now about half the size? And why does Cosette put that thing with red flowers in her hair between the wedding and the finale. She dashes off with Marius to see Valjean, whom she presumably hasn't seen for quite a long time, but manages to find time not just to take off her veil but to find some pretty flowers to replace it with. It just seems a bit odd. AND, one last thing, I didn't look last night, but on Saturday I noticed that Bowman's brand was gone in the second half - he must have removed it during the interval. Do most Valjeans do that, or is it another reason to dislike Bowman? Talking of Bowman - I really missed Jonathan in the Epilogue - he really acted like an old man, and got the shaking and everything just right as well as aging his voice really well. Bowman just looked like a goldfish with Down's syndrome - he didn't act very old, just jad his mouth hanging open. And he does a really strange thing with his hand just before Cosette and Marius come in, when Fantine nearly takes it. He sort of leaves it there, and looks like a vacant idiot. Sorry, I'll stop the ranting. I'm SO tempted to go on Tuesday afternoon now, but it's my brother's birthday. Don't know what to do 
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| Elbow |
Yes, I think it's new.
Actually, I don't know if anyone's noticed, but Cosette actually has a whole different wedding dress in the epilogue to the wedding scene. Most odd.
Hmm, this I am not sure about, but I'm sure Bowman's brand is usually less obvious than Shannon's used to be, which I find confusing. Surely they wold just do it the same for everyone
Hahaha
I'm tempted for Tuesday too. Not sure what to do. |
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
Really?! But why land her with an extra, big costume change that hardly anyone will notice? Despite it not making sense.
The thing is, back when he had his Mondays there wasn't much to choose between him and Shannon, and Monday nights weren't very convenient for me, and Shannon didn't have long left whereas Jonathan had the rest of the yeaer, so I tended to chose performances when I knew he'd be on rather than Jonathan. But now we have Bowman, who seems determined to be around as much as possible, I'm determined to catch Jonathan whenever I can. Still cross about yesterday though 
And also, Tuesday is the half-year anniversary of this cast ... would be nice to be there for that. It's about then that I start counting down to Cast Change. |
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| Eponines_Hat |
Oh my goodness - I think I just laughed for about 10 minutes! 
Glad to see that I am not the only one who just can't get over the choice of Bowman over Williams. It makes me angry every time I go! Williams has really come a long way with his JVJ since that 2008 video was made! and wtf was with Bowman being on Thursday? So glad I didnt cancel my plans to get to the show (like I had thought about) I would have been so cross! [/quote] |
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
So, against my better judgement, I have booked for Tuesday matinee. There is still BB20 left if anyone's interested
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| Eppie-Sue |
But does anyone else think that the upcoming week is just brutal for them? Tuesday two shows, Wednesday two shows, another matinee on the 24th, only the 25th off and then two shows again on the 26th!? That's just... I dunno. |
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| kemathenga |
... not exactly what I would call a relaxed happy christmas except, maybe, for the folks who are watching.
Ours will be almost as brutal. Singing in cathedral service the 24th, 25th and 26th, a concert tomorrow, two other services to participate in on 27th and 31st and I'm working on my voice like mad to keep it functioning. Then London the 2nd of January and if the cast is a bit off colour then I'll shake hands with them mentally and enjoy it all the same. I don't exactly mean I'd rather sing DYHTPS than Bach's Christmas Oratory but still ...
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| Quique |
Wow! What a schedule.
As much as I love Les Mis, even I would be totally pooped after all that. Oh and thanks for the congrats Eppie-Sue and others! The vice principal called me into her office and I was like, "Is she gonna scold me for being 5-10 min. late practically every day this week?" "Is she gonna ask why I haven't taken the required training yet?" :S Then she says, "congrats you got the job. Merry Christmas!" I could've sworn I heard her say "MERRY CHRISTMIZ!" 
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| Eppie-Sue |
Like the advert on Piccadilly Circus?!
ETA: While we're at it: The Mizbus. 
(no. 15 going past Aldwych. I'm sure there's another one without the "Dream the dream" slogan.) |
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| KatyRoseLand |
About Cosette's wedding dress - don't quote me on it, but I think they just take a layer off it. During the wedding, the skirt is really lacy, and then when they rush on to see Valjean at the end, I think they've just taken the lacy layer off, leaving the satin showing. I think that and the change from the veil to the flowers is just to show that they've hurried there and she's taken off the really flamboyant stuff in order to move quicker. Does that make sense? That's what I've always assumed. | ||||||||||
| riverdawn |
Yeah, I always understood the little flowery tiara to be the thing she had *under* the veil, and was revealed when she took off the veil in order to make it easier to move around.
If this were the real world, I assume Cosette would have worn the veil for the wedding ceremony, and then taken it off for the reception and just left the flowers. But as in theater-land they go directly from the wedding to the reception in one simple move, she obviously doesn't have the time to take of the veil until after she goes offstage. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
CRAZY show last night--the snow kept a staggering number of people from showing up on time. Jonathan Williams on as Valjean (Simon Bowman apparently made it halfway through the first act, but Jonathan was already on), Helen Owen as Eponine, Antony Hansen as Marius, Mark Dugdale as Enjolras. The most amazing thing, though, was that half a dozen members of the orchestra got snowed out as well! They had to start with the orchestra pretty much cut in half, and gradually add instruments as people straggled in. It was craaaaazy and they did a really good job covering it all. | ||||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
Can I just say how JEALOUS I am that you got to see Antony and Mark together!?! And Antony and Helen? JEALOUS. I'm basically dying of jealousy! At least you didn't get Killianjolras. That's what's keeping me sane.
And, you know, every time you're here you get crazy understudy performances. xD |
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| Elbow |
Soooooooooo jealous. So so jealous. | ||||||||||
| Eponines_Hat |
Just back from the Boxing Day matinee. I was taking mum for the first time - and so hoping for a good show - and I wasn't disappointed!
I knew Jeff was on for Javert and was really excited about that - but when they announced Jonathan Williams was on for JVJ....
Both Jeff and Jonathan were brilliant. Jeff has really come a long way since I first saw him as Javert and I can safely say that he was robbed of the part. Jeff's javert actually has a range of facial expressions!!!! and very subtly conveys a rather complex Javert -which I like. (When he is played as a one dimensional 'villian' type character it makes me want to scream!) His reaction to the "2-4-6-oh-oooooooone!" was one of shock, embarrassment - and then he mouthed "I knew it!" when the revolve began to turn.(it felt like typical Jeff adlibbing!) His "Stars" was fabulous and he hit the low notes of The Confrontation perfectly. Oh, and there was a great moment when he sees JVJ at the barricade for the first time where you can literally read on his face, "oh $%^@ what is he doing here? and I am all tied up - damn it!" It was gold. Jeff got big cheers at curtain call! Jonathan was great as JVJ - as always. There were no cheesy hand gestures, no smugness (or pervy rubbing of his nose on Fantine) He just plays the role perfectly (IMO) and makes you really feel for JVJ. And he does the "2-4-6-oh-oooooooone!" properly, bless him. His BHH and Finale made me cry. A lot. He got huge cheers at curtain call and looked so chuffed and humbled by the applause at curtain call (and he seemed to hang around for a really long time waving as everyone else left!) I can't really add any more than what I have said about him previously. Cammack should be shot (or at least slapped very hard) for giving Bowman this role over Williams. DT was wonderful - again, as always. I was rather sad to see that the sitting- down - for - verse - one -r&B blocking was gone; and that we were back to the "talking sense to Marius" blocking. He did sit down for the LiD and only stood up quite late into it to do the "WE WILL kindle our flame" . There was also some slightly different and interesting blocking in DWM. Instead of lots of back patting, Thaxton only went over to Courfeyrac and had a really long chat with him - which ended in a big E/R! style hug and laughing form both. This lasted til about halfway through R!'s verse, where the blocking went back to normal. Final Battle was really intense - and the volume pwnage of ODM = epic. Nancy had a great show. She really nailed OMO and ALFOR was beautifully tragic. She actually kissed Alastair today - which I noticed also happened with Anthony the other week, too. (My mum really raved about her performance in particular - thought it was worth a mention!) Speaking of Alaistair - I thought he did a great job today. While there were two instances where he genuinely sounded like a sheep - he seemed to really give it 100% emotionally today. He was crying so much at the end of ALFOR that I could see the tears running down onto Nancy - and he seemed to take a really long time to be consoled by R! He played ECAET really well, too - very tortured. A few bloopers tonight - have a look at the relevant thread! |
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| Eppie-Sue |
... nice to know both two leads took Boxing Day off and got a three days holiday. Really... nice.
But aw, I'm so jealous that you got Jonathan AND Jeff that must have been amazing.
omg. I knew it. I KNEW IT. IIII KNEEEEEEEEEW IIIIIT. sorry, that just made the '98 movie for me.
Yes. He seems so real. You don't often get that, but it's with him and David that I really feel like I'm not watching an actor but the character on stage. An actual human being.
Oh, but I think that is fairly regular whenever none of them is off... the whole... argument - making up - talking - hugging - holding the flag together stuff. Love it dearly. Thank you for the review! : ) |
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
I went to the matinee on the 22nd to see Jonathan. It was a great show (Natalie as Fantine, Jonathan of course, and an otherwise full ensemble), and I loved seeing everyone in their proper place, as it were. I hadn't seen Joe Evans for ages, for instance, and had really missed Mark and Gavin. And the two swings on were Killian and Katy, which made the cast almost perfect. Anyway, I spent most of the show comparing Jonathan and bloody Bowman as I've taken to calling him (I'm sure he's a lovely bloke and everything, but...). The two scenes where Jonathan is particularly infinitely better is in the Epilogue (see my previous comments) and in the bargain. Bowman is just so snarky and smug all the time, and I think it ends up coming across like he's just doing the good deeds because he's the hero of the story and that's what heroes do. In fact, I read a fic once - it was one of the many crack summary fics out there, done as a script - which portrayed Valjean as this guy who goes out basically looking for good things to do, basically to show off, and in this fic he kidnaps Cosette, who is well-looked after by the Thenardiers and is only in rags because she's practicing for a school play (or something like that) against her will. Anyway, he goes to get her just because Fantine told him about her, and he thought it would be a good way of, well, showing off how good he is. I tried to dig it up again, but I couldn't find it. Anyway, Bowman reminds me so much of this JVJ - and that is certainly NOT a good thing! Also, Jonathan is IMO a much better singer, he doesn't sound like he's straining for the high notes like Bowman does (and doesn't put any notes down) and he doesn't sing BHH slightly under pitch the whole way through which makes me cringe when I hear Bowman do it. I absolutlely hate Bowman in the little bit after the runaway cart where Fauchelevent goes 'Monsieur le Maire, you come from God, you are a Saint'. He kind of pats his hand as if to say 'It's all in a day's work. I don't really care about you, I'm just doing it because I do good deeds.' He certainly doesn't look like he would buy the dead horses and broken cart, and there is absolutlely no compassion there at all. And then, of course, there's the whole lack of grief or guilt, he's way too sure of himself the whole way through. Then there's little things that maybe aren't that important, but just add to the overall impression. I don't like the way he sings 'number 55 rue plumet' - it makes me seasick. And it really annoys me when Valjeans leave their wallet hanging open in the Bargain because there's only three notes in there, which makes it look like that's all the money in the world that he has (of course, many of us may know there's some hidden in his coat - but most of the audience don't know that). Either they should put a couple more notes in the wallet, or he shouldn't leave it dangling open when it's empty. I have one small quibble with the way Jonathan sings, but he shares it with Colm Wilkinson among others, so he is in good company, and is purely a matter of personal taste. That is, that he tends to put in extra passing notes which I don't really feel are necessary. I think Colm does it quite a lot in BHH, I notice it most with Jonathan in places like 'if I stay silent' where he puts 2 notes on stay. As I say, very minor quibble, and hardly worth saying - I'm just trying to stop this being quite such a Bowman rant
Just had to get that off my chest. |
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| Elbow |
My thoughts exactly. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
Yeah. I saw that same matinee of the 22nd, and then the evening when Bowman was on. So I got the, um, pleasure of seeing Bowman right after Jonathan Williams.
At first I thought I could understand why, as unfair as it might seem, Bowman is principal and Jonathan isn't. Bowman's belt is fuller, he seems to project the character more; Jonathan seemed subdued in comparison, especially in the prologue. BUT. After initial impressions, I just don't get it. Because the projection/stage presence turned into almost a caricature of Valjean, the smugness was unbelievably irritating, and... okay, during Who Am I, I thought "hey, Bowman has dynamic range! I like the choice to do the whole song quiet like that!" That was before I realized his head voice ALWAYS SOUNDS LIKE THAT and it wasn't an artistic choice. Why the heck did they cast someone who can't put any breath support behind his head voice? It got painful the more the show went on and the more I realized that's just the way he sings. I mean, I feel bad joining in the universal lambasting of Bowman's Valjean. I'm sure he's a lovely guy and all. But it cuts me up that the casting people recycled old cast members for both the male leads, when in both cases there's an amazing understudy who deserves the part so much more, and has been waiting in the wings for quite awhile. |
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| Quique |
I'm intrigued. I've gotta see him for myself. But I'm already irritated just reading the descriptions of his Valjean, lol. | ||||||||||
| Eponines_Hat |
Good to see someone else on an anti-Bowman rant!
I completely agree with everything you said. I also think Williams is infinitiely better than Bowman in "who am i?" (much smugness from Bowman and an inability to hit the correct note for "onnnnnnnnne") and in the whole prologue - especially the Bishop scene and "What have I done" where there are cheesy over-reactions galore! I really really would like to know why he got the role. It seems that Cammack has an idea of who the "big names" are - and they just seem to go back and forth between Phantom and Les Miz. I do kinda get the Nicholson casting because I think he was a bit too cuddly/nice for Javert before - but he has come so far (and journeyed for so long ) and has become a really impressive, interesting Javert.
I think it would be nice for Cammack to promote 'up and coming' stars a bit more in the lead roles - especially if they are clearly up to scratch with the quality of their performance!
Yes... I noticed that, too..... I thought it was pretty slack - but all the better for me!!! btw love that bit from the movie <3 |
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| operafantomet |
That, plus that the revamped tour has a fantastic cast and the London production will have to compete against it at some point. That should make CamMack put in an incredibly strong cast for the original production so it will appear as good as it actually is. I would hate a sub-par casting (if this is the case, haven' seen the current London cast) to make people think it's dated. If that makes sense... |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Ignoring the fact that I don't think the tour has a totally "fantastic cast" from what I've heard (both from audios and from some people), the problem which has been discussed in the "revamped" thread is that it seems as if the original production which is in its 25th year is an "also-ran", while they're putting all the effort and thought into the tour. Again, I don't think it's working for the tour, and I think the huge strength of the London production is the fact that even with a few not-so-strong principals, the overall impression is still a well-rounded, classic, epic and beautiful piece of musical theatre. But yes. What I think is upsetting is the casting of the leads - the tour gets JOJ and Earl... London gets Bowman and Janssens while there are incredibly strong understudies. Thanks a lot. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
Yeah. It does seem strange that they're celebrating the 25th year of the London run by... completely forgetting about the London production in favor of their shiny new tour. | ||||||||||
| The Very Angry Woman |
These are the same people who closed the show on Broadway with a Javert who'd never performed the role in New York before. | ||||||||||
| Quique |
I remember when I was a kid, I admired Cammack so much for being the anal, nit-picky, stubborn, control-freak, quality control driven, cut-no-corners producer from hell. I got a kick reading articles about how the designers for the third national tour wanted to flatten the stage's rake in order to make it easier to set up but he threw a fit and wouldn't hear any of it. They were to send out a version of the show that was as close to the Broadway production as possible...rake and all...or nothing. I was so proud whenever Les Mis stopped by because I knew we had the exact same show that was in New York, while other shows toured around with scaled down sets, subpar casts, and a band.
What happened? |
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| riverdawn |
Looks like tonight (Wed.) is another chance to catch Jonathan Williams as Valjean and Jeff Nicholson as Javert in the same performance, if someone is in London and wants to rush to find tickets... (sadly this doesn't apply to me). | ||||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
Am rushing to London by plane, but definitely not in time to see the show. Am kind of getting my hopes up for at least Jeffert on NYE. : ) That would be so great. But Elbow is seeing the show AFAIK, so that's amazing for her. Ah, I can't wait to get back. I am so grateful for the "let's just drop by the Queen's and have a look at the understudy sheet or if they've got anything in BB left, meet up with Madeleine, Elbow, aquirkofmatter ..." situation. So ---- grateful.
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| Elbow |
TONIGGGGHHHHT.
WAS GRAND. perfect even? Yes, I would say so. Jeff as Javert and Jonathan was Valjean was fantastic. I think the reviewbasically goes like this - Jonathan - Perfect Jeff - Perfect Emily Bull - Perfect Nancy - Perfect Thaxton - Perfect Alistair - Perfect I don't think I should bother going on. It was an amazing show. I got there at about 7pm. I was considering not going but then felt the need. I got there and there was only standing room left. Then got to the box office and there was none of that left either - but then the lovely box office man sold me a ticket anyway A ten pound note was never better spent, I think I was grinning the whole way through. I mean from the back of the upper circle I couldn't see an awful lot but... what I did see was great.
I shan't bore you all with an awfully long review however I hear somebody took a few video recordings of the show that were to be uploaded tonight. Sadly that person left their camera cable at home, which was bloody stupid so said recordings won't be up until tomorrow... or so I hear. Edit: And I think I by mistake told Jeff at the stage door that he should be "ON FOREVER!!!" Oh dear, my enthusiasm often gets the better of me. |
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| Lauraa |
I can finally see what Jeff is like as Javert!
Do you know what they recorded? |
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| Eppie-Sue |
xDDDDDDD
Can't believe I got there AS IT HAD JUST ENDED. I'm so jealous but very, very amused and amazed, too. And there has to be another show like this soon. As in, don't Javert and Valjean actors normally get six month contracts?! ... heh. ETA: You were alright at the stage door! And you very nicely helped to make me seem less of a freak by trying to hide my two BIG and HEAVY bags I had dragged all the way there just to tell Jonathan he is amazing with you right after I had gotten off the plane. Not that he actually stopped. Or saw us.
They were all very lovely, especially those you/we actually talked to xD Like Mark... Martin Ball, Jeff and Antony. Who was very funny and even remembered his "Look Down" blooper from weeks ago. |
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| Elbow |
The mysterious person got the Prologue, the Soliloquy, Look down, Stars, One Day More, The Final Battle, Javert's Suicide and the Finale and a couple more. None are very good, due to being at the veeeerry back of the whole theatre, but they'll do. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
I've heard those videos are pitch-black. 
ETA: Ahem. And I'm getting more and more annoyed over the lack of the EPK they shot IN SEPTEMBER. Martin (Ball) said that Gina (Beck, I suppose) said she had seen it. WHAAAA?! It's got Shannon and Earl and Katie. And it will hopefully be very shiny. |
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| flying_pigs |
Yay! Reviews! And footage, ooooo sounds exciting!
I still think we should all try for a Les Mis London meet up before cast change! |
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| Lauraa |
Lol, it will probably be like that video that came up a while ago where it was really dark and you could only just about make out the people. At least it's something though...
EDIT:
I know I don't really write on here that much but I'd love to do this if you don't mind me tagging along - it would be nice to have people to fangirl with face to face
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| Eppie-Sue |
xD Oh, where you can see NOTHING except for a red vest jumping around on the barricade?!
... And yes. Fan meet-up. How hard can it be, really?! Maybe when it's a bit warmer, I dunno, but we should. Also, flying_pigs, I haven't seen you in ages. In almost four months, actually! |
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| flying_pigs |
I know! That was the last time I saw the show! But I guess I've been away at uni and what not but still, unacceptable!
Although I'm taking my mum to see it before I go back
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| Quique |
I shall invade London this summer.
But it seems like there will be a mob of Les Mis girlies and then this one random Les Mis DUDE thrown in the mix. I'll stick out like a sore thumb!!! XD |
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| riverdawn |
Well, I just booked my flights to go back to England for another two months of archive-trawling.
Won't be London-based this time, but I suspect I shall somehow find myself back at the Queen's on occasion.
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| lovesinging |
Totally don't mind.
Oooh, where is this? Sounds interesting. haha |
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| Eppie-Sue |
This is the video I was referring to. I kind of fangirl it a lot. Very innovative camera work.
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| eponine5 |
I saw the matinee yesterday, which also had the understudies for Valjean and Javert It sort of amused me that on my trip to see the new cast members for the first time the only performance I hadn't technically seen before was Jonathan Williams as Valjean, who wasn't even new.
As expected, it was a brilliant performance. I didn't know quite what to expect from Jonathan Williams, although of course I'd only heard good things about his Valjean, but wow he was amazing! His Valjean struck me as very tender and emotional (I just wanted to hug him!) but I liked that he didn't play the part as he he felt he was innocent, if that makes any sense. In general it was a lovely performance and very refreshing, as I admit my expectations of Valjean hadn't been that high after reading all the reviews of Simon Bowman here... It was so wonderful to see Jeffert again! And as much as I loved him back in 2007, he's even more amazing now. What a voice he has! So beautiful and deep and strong. Similarly, I'd liked Emily Bull as an understudy a couple years ago, but she was brilliant yesterday. Special mention has to go to how she behaved in the Epilogue - normally I'm not paying much attention to Cosette here, but her acting here made it absolutely heartbreaking, smiling at Valjean as if she honestly didn't believe he would ever die. I also loved a moment between those two earlier during Look Down, when Jonathan Williams did that trick of pulling a coin out of her ear. It was an adorable moment between the two that I'd never seen before. As expected, Nancy Sullivan and David Thaxton were briliant, although I can't say I was impressed by Alistair. I'd really expected him to improve when I first saw him back in July, but sadly he hasn't and his voice was more grating than ever. It almost looks and sounds like his vibrato was created by an electric pulse. Overall though, it was a great show! And here's another vote of interest for that anonymous video! |
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| Eppie-Sue |
I'M SEEING LES MIS TONIGHT. I'M SO EXCITED. IT'S BEEN TOO LONG.
cough. 17 days. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Double post. Because I'm just that awesome.
Happy new year, everyone. It's a bit sad that one hour after midnight, I've got nothing better to do than to review a bit, but hey, I spent two hours running around London, so I've kind of earned the right to be boring and pathetic now. Full ensemble, everyone was on - with the exception of Alistair and HPJ. Killian was in Jeff's track and Greg in Antony's. Needless to say, I was a bit excited, especially about Jeffert. Hadn't seem him in AGES. And it was really strange to be back at the Queen's. For many, 17 days sounds like a ridiculously short break from Les Mis, but when you're used to seeing the show basically... twice weekly, it's just different. So, I got a bit emotional at certain points and was already teary-eyed at the Prologue, the beginning of ATEOTD, Fantine's Death, had to bite back tears at the very start of "Look Down", which, to me, is just the... most breathtaking moment in the entire show, lost it a bit at ODM and finally gave in at ALFOR and then as the barricade turned, Deadjolras moment, etc. Even ECAET and the Finale couldn't quite make me as emotional as the latter, by the way. But there you go. I'm way too tired to actually review properly. Apart from Bowman, I loved everyone's performance. I thought Rebecca was exceptionally strong tonight, and as much as I love Natalie and Sophie as Fantine, she did an amazing rendition of IDAD and I didn't question why she was principal once. Nancy seemed a bit tired in OMO, but that's really all I could criticise about her performance, she was lovely. Especially the acting, oh so much love for that. I thought Emily was great, I mean, she's still not Cosette to me, but she does a good job. I even liked Lorraine tonight, it seemed like she changed a few small things, so acting-wise I was surprised and I liked her. Vocally... no. Already mentioned Bowman - I don't know if I had simply forgotten how ridiculous his Valjean could be, or if it was really worse than usual, even, but "What have I done?" was almost painful to watch. No. Just no. Jeff was great, amazing "Stars", I think I've seen him stronger than tonight, but this is no criticism. He's not my perfect Javert, but he does such an amazing job and I do not understand why he's understudy. At all. With him, you have a living, breathing character on stage, not a cardboard cutout. Speaking of bringing your character to life: David. Oh, what an amazing "Lamarque is dead". The people behind me gasped after it, which I found incredibly cute. I don't even remember half of the random blocking, both in the caf� and in DWM, but there was a lot. Also, the Final Battle seemed so much louder than I remembered it. Such a wonderful performance. He just gets the character. And oooooh The Fight! They really went for it there, so intense. Yeeah, Antony was on (very short notice, too, he wasn't on the understudy sheet before the show and was only announced! I hope Alistair's okay!) and was great. Until "Empty Chairs" I had the same kind of impression as with Jeffert, that I had seen him quite a bit better before (not that there was anything wrong!), but he killed that song. Oh my God. It was so strong and clear and well-acted. Brilliant. Martin Ball was a-maaaaz-ing in "Dog Eats Dog", I remember being a bit critical of his voice back in August and September, but it's so much better now and it really fits Th�nardier. The ensemble was good, the ones that stood out a lot tonight were Gavin, who sounded even better than I'd ever heard him before, Martin, because he did a great job in quite a lot of important ensemble roles, what with covering the Factory Foreman, Natalie, but I can't really say why, she's just wonderful, and Mark with an AMAZING "Shooooooot the baaaastarrrrrrrd!" Afterwards, there was a lot of "Happy New Year" hugging and kissing at the stage door, which was really lovely, got to say hello and Happy NYE to most of them and ... yeah. It was so nice. Talked to Killian for quite a while, chatted with Jeff, Martin Ball, Nancy and David. They're all so friendly. How can they be so friendly?! xD ETA: Also, someone was having fun in the right wings during Nancy's parts tonight... a very, very loud crash during her bit in ODM and another during OMO. And as for "bloopers", the chair next to Fantine's bed kind of fell apart when Bowman lifted it, so he stood there with one leg of it a bit too early in the song. So they were facing each other with the truncheon/piece of wood in their hands, trying to look very, very dangerous. And the thrown flag in DYHTPS just went straight into David's face (at least he caught it ).
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| flying_pigs |
Thanks for the review guys! Glad the cast is getting stronger day by day!
Eponine5: Awww, you saw Jonathan AND Jeff! I'm jealous! |
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| Lauraa |
I just booked the last BB ticket and I'm going to see Les Mis tomorrow!! Lol, I've just been told I'm getting obsessive
Does anyone know what happened to Alistair then? I wonder if it will be him or Antony tomorrow... |
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| Eppie-Sue |
I have to admit that I totally blanked and didn't ask anyone if he was all right... it was all very much about HAPPY NEW YEAR at the stage door, and Antony didn't even see me (I could just have asked him, obviously)... Could have brought it up with Nancy and David, I suppose. Ah, I feel bad now. Which is why I'll go to the Queen's tonight and see who is on. And I might see the show, if they've got anything left.
HEH. But it was really.. the conductor came and leaned over and said something about "... will be on for..." and I listened a bit more closely, being a bit concerned, a bit excited (JONATHAN?!) and a bit anxious, and then the MD said to one of the orchestra members "He makes that break at Oh, my friends ...! ... my frieeeeeends don't ask me!" and I sat there going "All right, I know who does THAT" and then, a minute later, Antony was announced. So yeah. ETA: Antony is on tonight. ta-dah. |
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| Elbow |
coughcoughcough http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvZbp9ZsV5w coughcoughcough | ||||||||||
| flying_pigs |
Thank youuuu!
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| Eppie-Sue |
Yay, videos!
Okay, so, Antony was on tonight (Greg covered his track) as Alistair's got the flu or something. And he was great. They all were, despite the fact that it was New Year's Day and half of them would probably preferred a place without bright lights and loud noises and all that . But you really couldn't tell from the performance. Interestingly, the only one who flubbed lines (again.) was Bowman. He also kind of missed his entrance to the Letter scene, so Nancy climbed through the gate and there was no one there. He then came running on stage, and I don't mean "Oh I just randomly changed the blocking and instead of doing something really odd like usual, Valjean will now come running", but "out of breath" running. You could hear him trying to catch his breath over his lines. I'm just saying.
HPJ was back and was ... just the same as always. Not one change at all. It was very tiring to watch him not doing anything, but there you go. Rebecca was amazing, again. I really, really like her performance now, I can't imagine anyone could be disappointed, even with the hype that has been built up around Boyle. If you listen to her rendition on, say, the ITV thing, she really isn't that good at all. Rebecca > Boyle. Antony was wonderful, I love how macho his Marius is at times, like in the Robbery with Montparnasse and, easily my favourite bit tonight, when he stumbled into the Rue Plumet garden and was all "I'M THE MAN. SHE'LL LOVE ME." until he looked at her and completely lost all his confidence. Great! Emily was good. I wish I could say so much more about her performance, but at the same time I wish she would make me say more about her. I still think she's too modern and her movements seem so... staccato. If that makes any sense. Nancy was great. Better than yesterday, and I love, love, love Rue Plumet Attack. It's got to be one of my favourite scenes. So well done. And she was amazing in ALFOR, and so, so sad and happy at the same time. As biased as I, naturally, am, David owned the stage tonight. I would bet the audience thought so, too (you get a nice view of how people are reacting to scenes and performers from the D/C Slips). I mean, I have kind of learned to trust him to be ... amazing every single time, but tonight was simply epic. Literally one of the best performances in weeks. He seemed so into it, and vocally, anyway, the strongest principal (as always). Martin was great as usual. I'm only just noticing that he basically does the same, acting-wise, at every performance, but it doesn't bother me, actually, because he does it so well, and it's still fresh. He seemed a bit hoarse, but not as much as Lorraine. "Eponine come my dear" etc was so painful to listen to. But I think I like her performance (acting) a lot more now, which is good. Except for Alistair, a full cast tonight. I guess if they're not actually sick, they're not letting them go off around Christmas and NYE? It just seems like it. I do not like Laura Medforth OTT screaming and crying during The Final Battle. Noticed it a lot more from BB yesterday but decided not to say anything, but I could hear it from the D/C Slips again tonight. It's ruining the entire scene. For God's sake. We got a very, very loud "SHOOOOOOT THE BAAAAASTARD!" tonight, and lots of ... mildly slashy scenes between Enjolras and Courfeyrac. Oh bless them. And Simon Shorten is just amazing in MotH, especially towards the end and in the slow mo.
Stagedooring was quick but very, very lovely indeed. : ) It's very sweet when actors give you a "WTF NO NO IT ISN'T!" look when you mention that it's kind of sad that you've seen the show not only on NYE but only on New Year's Day. Thanks, David! Also, Antony was very chatty and sweet, as was Mark, even though he had to rush off. ETA: ooooh, according to Jeff, the 10,000th performance of Les Mis (West End) is this Monday. Right now, I'm considering seeing the 9,999th show.
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| flying_pigs |
Awww man, it just has to be on the day I go back to uni for a few days
If anyone's going, have a good time! |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Ah yes, for those that are going, you'll get Markjolras and Rachel Bingham as Mme Th�nardier. If they haven't changed that because, I dunno, it's some big celebration and everyone is on like at the birthday show. Because, technically, the 10,000 performance would have been tonight, had the one matinee on the 17th November not been cancelled because of the Power Cut.
Is there any big celebration? I know that for the 9000th show back in 2007, they made a news update on lesmis.com, but seeing as nothing except for a link to the tour dates is happening there (typical), I'm not even sure, |
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| flying_pigs |
I think there was a cake for the 9000th?
I hope they make a big deal out of it, 10 000 is a big number! |
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| Elbow |
Joe Evans is on for Marius tonight. I am sad I will miss that
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| flying_pigs |
:O I really want to see him as Marius!
Good luck to him! |
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| Eppie-Sue |
I TOTALLY WENT TONIGHT. I'm just saying. Joe was absolutely lovely, I will review later .
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| Elbow |
NOW! I mean...er... glad you enjoyed it!
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| flying_pigs |
So was Antony off or back in his Feuilly track? | ||||||||||
| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
Ooh, please review soon!! Really want to know what Joe was like
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| aquirkofmatter |
Jeff as Javert, Natalie Fantine and Joe as Marius?! That sounds like a pretty great set of understudies!
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| Eppie-Sue |
Okay, so, that was exciting! I almost didn't go to the Queen's, especially not right after the matinee, it was just a "Oh, maybe they've got standing tickets later and who knows, there might be an interesting understudy on!" decision. I got there at 5.30, looked at the u/s sheet, saw Jeffert, Natalie!Fantine, which both made me want to see the show if they had cheap seats left, but then I saw that the understudy for Marius was not Antony but, OMG, Joe Evans. So I kind of rushed over to the booth and went "PLEASETELLMEYOU'VEGOTSOMETHINGLEFTFORTONIGHT."
Well, they had a 40 quid one, A21, and I got that. I couldn't miss this. HEH. Then I randomly stagedoored to let Joe know he better be great because I had just paid the double amount I usually pay for a ticket. He seemed so happy and excited that he got to go on, and also said that he had basically had ten minutes to rehearse... (Now the only second understudies that haven't been on are Mark Hedges as Th�nardier (but he was on last year AFAIK) and KILLIAN IN BOTH OF HIS ROLES. ARGH.) Anyway. I was just grinning my way through all of Joe's parts. It actually began at the badass policeman scene in Fantine's Arrest, because, see, there was Mark, then BIG BAD JEFF (quoting Jonathan here), then Joe with almost the same built as Mark and next to him David, who, even if not as impressive as Jeff, is still tall. Ergo: _ -- _ -- Yes, I'm easily amused. Okay so, Look Down. xD I got so excited. Before I tell you about Joe!Marius, please recall what he looks like as Jean Prouvaire... with always this kind of surprised, befuddled, adorable look on his face - yes. That was his Marius face for the first scenes. It killed me. He was so, so entertaining to watch, just how he seemed really into it, but always with a bit of amusment, especially in his interaction with Eponine and the other students. It was way too cute. He wasn't MARIUS per se, but at some points you could definitely see the "OH WHAT CAN BE GREATER THAN BEING LED BY A MAN LIKE NAPOLEON?" na�vety. Completely convinced but utterly useless. I can't quite explain it. xD I think there were only two small bloopers... well, one not SO small - he didn't even touch Cosette's basket, so it didn't fall down, so the whole "OH WAIT. STOP. ... I didn't see you there, forgive me" moment was even more awkward. It kind of worked. And I think he might have confused two lines in AHFOL, but nothing noticeable. This really is no criticism at all. He did an amazing job. The interaction with Cosette was great, by the way - I LOVED how he walked into the garden, looked at her and then just froze for the entire bit of this first lines, then stumbled back, really discouraged. The other two do that, too, but he just did it soooo well. Vocally, I felt that he might have been able to give it a lot more than he did if he hadn't had to concentrate on everything so much. He's nothing like Antony, it, in all honesty, was no enlightenment, but there was also nothing actually wrong at all. I can't possibly criticise him, really! Ah, he was lovely. Especially the first half of Empty Chairs was AMAZING, and amazingly well acted, too. I thought he did the transition from Marius The Dork to Marius The Suicidal Idiot to Marius The Boy Who Lived incredibly well, if you know what I mean. He didn't seem that funny and adorable anymore after he had heard of Cosette's departure, he got completely serious after Eponine's death, he *actually* played the "I will go into the streets" moment exactly like "I actually really think this is a good idea. I might even get myself shot on the way" which was amazing (The Fight, however, wasn't xD there was not much of a fight, Joe!Marius was just grabbed, flung across the stage and that was that.), and then he was so disillusioned for ECAET and got all his strength back in AHFOL Reprise. OH AND - The Wedding. His interaction with Th�nardier was pure genius. I prefer it to any other take on that scene I've seen so far - he was all smiley and funny and seemingly playing along for "No, Baron de Th�nard..." etc. and then became very serious and angry at "Go away, TH�NARDIER"... I can't describe it very well.
SO. There you go. I might type up a bit about the others a bit later. (oh, and to answer flying_pigs question, Antony was off as well. NYE effects?! )
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| flying_pigs |
Oh, it sounds so exciting! I love when second u/s go on, such a rare occurrence! Thank you for the review! | ||||||||||
| Elbow |
Sounds brilliant! | ||||||||||
| beyondthebarricade |
Uhh sorry to be asking this, but can please tell me where the understudy sheet is? I haven't seen it before, and once when I went Rachel Bingham was on as Madame Thenardier, so there actually was an understudy. I only saw the cast board but not the understudy sheet... | ||||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
It's at the very left corner of the box office, under a glass plate that is embedded into the counter. You can have a look at it from both the box office or from the foyer.
Admittedly, it's very well hidden. I think they should have a different way of announcing understudies, most people don't have a clue who's on that night, the announcement is not doing much, half the audience doesn't even spot the cast board, etc. How hard can it be, really? And I mean, it's nice that on the board, everyone is equal, but for those who haven't bought a programme, it's impossible to learn anything about who played which role. I've overheard so many people - even with programmes - who thought the understudy was the principal, who confused actors, who thought the cast printed in the programme was the cast of that night, etc. (and it also doesn't really help that some characters *coughEnjolrascough* are not even mentioned in the bloody summary in the programme and the brochure) |
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| kemathenga |
Yaaawwn, we just flew back from London and I know I won't be able to sleep before writing something about Les Miz, the Matinee on Saturday.
As soon as we saw the Les Miz Logo from far away my daughter and I started grinning like mad. We collected our tickets alright and then watched the theater filling from very high up. Considering our limited financial possibilities we could see very well from were we sat. The theater itself is a show of its own. Spectacular. We noticed right away there would be an understudy for Marius but of course didn't know what to expect. The long and short of it is: we loved him. And told him so afterwards. He was all beaming and friendly and said he did it for the very first time. Of course, seeing it for the first time we wouldn't notice as much details as Eppie-Sue does, but all in all he was very convincing. I thought ECAET a bit too dramatic but I'm so used to the highly distilled version by Michael Ball and I know this is not really a possible comparison. We couldn't find much fault with Bowman. In my eyes he acted the part of the convict just as well as the mayor and undercover saint. I thought the pummeling before he meets the bishop was a bit overacted. From the book I am used to emphasizing more on Valjean as an outcast whom nobody would want to touch. And we didn't like the bishop. he wore a constant wrinkle between his eyebrows which ruined his supposed warmth and goodheartedness and he just seemed - pale, like his dress. I loved "Loveley Ladies", it was just the right mixture between obscenity and despair and not remotely funny and I think that's how it should be done. Also Fantine, whom we liked a lot and who pampered us with a vibrato-less voice did the act of becoming a whore out of despair very convincing. Not as smoothly as in the TAC but not too drunken and despaired, either. The Confrontation was too dramatic for our liking. There is so much action in the lines themselves that we could have done without Bowman ripping up the chair and running around Fantines deathbed. We thought COAC too fast for a child lost in a daydream but interaction between little Cosette and Mme Th�nardier was very good. Only they got Eponine shoved in somehow hastily in the scene and we didn't catch what her mother was saying to her at all. We HAD to sing along in MOTH but did it mutely. It was very, very good. We got a bit annoyed at Bowman for picking Cosette's nose tip every other minute. Once would have been enough to show his rapidly growing paternal feelings.And di he really sing "Eponine shall live in my protection"? My daughter says so, I'm not sure. Of course we had been waiting for the barricade-boys and they were ADORABLE. My daughter managed to catch who was who very quickly but I concentrated on my favorite one, Grantaire, and was not disappointed. ImO Martin Neely did it perfectly. I especially LOVED how he sang the second verse of DWM obviously at all of them and not just Enjolras as I have seen it done elsewhere. I'm going to tell him so - one day. The blocking was - all we could have asked for. Beautiful. They distributed the task of pushing off Grantaire between some of the other students which is not true to the book, of course, but it was done very convincingly - after all he had spent the first attack drinking and flinching at every shot and inspite of all my purist attitude when it comes to Grantaire-Enjolras I deeply enjoyed the way Enjolras made up for this and proved to him he belonged where he was. The dawn of anguish was made difficult because we could see from where we sat how David sat up, arranged his hair and his position before the stage revolved and showed Deadjolras. It made us giggle which was VERY inappropriate that moment. Also I regretted that Bowman started groaning and tugging at Marius before the oboe properly started, for me it ruined the atmosphere. BTW, I specially liked the choreography in ODM. I'm not really in favor of this marching-forwards-and-backwards thing and they managed to do it in a much less militaristic way - as it must have been with this mixed bunch of revolutionaries. They are not an army after all. All in all it was ... deep-breath-taken ... AWESOME!!!! It will take us some days to let it sink in and then we'll start saving for going again. London's not that far away, after all. It took as just as long to go to the airport as the plane to go to London .
Does anyone know for how long the show is going to run or is it open ended? The theater seemed fairly well filled so people still want to see it. |
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| beyondthebarricade |
Thank you so much! Yeah I figured it was kinda hard to find out who the understudies are, as the cast board is only visible if you're going to the circles or something. The stalls are a floor down, and those going to the stalls hardly ever see the cast board. I missed it the first time I went there. And you're right, the announcement doesn't do much as many people don't even know who the original actor was.
Huh. The first time I watched it in London, I had a tough time figuring out who that "guy with blond hair waving the flag was". And it didn't help much that in the headshot DT's hair was brown. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Dawn of Anguish = the scene after ALFOR
The Aftermath/The Sewers = Deadjolras
Some of the things you mentioned are just in the blocking. Eponine's quick entrance after Castle On A Cloud, and Valjean picking up the chair. I do agree, however, that Bowman is running around a bit too much, yes. Glad to hear you enjoyed it, but maybe it would be better to not compare it all to the TAC, which is, after all, a concert, which gives the actors more room to present the songs very smoothly, which had a handpicked cast and which, IMHO, doesn't compare to the actual stage production. They've extended ticket sales till 2011 and it's running pretty well, what with all the hype it's been getting from Boyle and probably also from the tour and the whole 25th year stuff. It looks quite good - also, Phantom would immediately take over as the longest running musical if Les Mis closed, and I don't think they want to hand over that title very soon. For the next time, I'm kind of suggesting Dress Circle Slips. Much better view for 20 pounds than from the Upper Circle, really. |
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| kemathenga |
We'll bear that in mind, Eppie-Sue, thanks for the tip . We kind of depend on our friends near London to order them for us since I don't have a credit card which makes buying tickets on the internet difficult.
Who were the other understudies? We only caught Marius' name. I seem to remember the other two were women? Also, we found out we had some trouble recognizing the actors when they came out. It will for ever haunt me that I recognized "Martintaire" a split second to late to adress him . This alone would be sufficient reason to go again
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| Eppie-Sue |
Natalie Day was on as Fantine, she's first understudy, and the third one was Jeff Nicholson as Javert, first understudy as well. They're lovely and amazing.
You've got a better chance of actually talking to them after evening shows. Last night was especially lovely, what with some of them just blatanly stopping the others for a few girls who wanted to get their programmes singed. Very sweet, makes you feel less guilty. Also, I guess I actually saw you at the stage door after the matinee, I was just hanging around and trying to call three people at once, freaking out over Joe!Marius to any cast member who'd listen, bless them, everyone seemed so excited and was so nice, seeing Daniella, David, Nancy and Mark coming back from going running between the shows (they must be freezing and completely knackered. Not that you'd be able to tell on stage) and all that. I was a bit out of it, sorry for not actually coming up to have a chat. I had totally forgotten you were seeing the show that day. |
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| kemathenga |
We would have been hard to miss dressed up as we were in red vests and flags tied round our waists. Our friends, who saw the show on Boxing Day, said there was nobody else dressed up but I replied we have waited so long and come from so far we just couldn't help it. And I actually dared waving my flag after the final scene and completely forgot it was the netherland one  . But I don't think anybody noticed, the colors were right.
Fantine and Javert were great, I agree. Now, that I know where the understudy sheet is, I'll be prepared for next time. We did't plan to stage-door but I'm a lot less timid when talking english so I just up and asked afterwards where it was and we finally found there. We didn't expect much - although we WERE looking for you, Eppie-Sue and when I heard some girls talking german I spoke to them but they said they were from the Ruhrgebiet and didn't know the actors very well - but when somebody said "here's Marius" we jumped at the opportunity. And my daughter got a nice personal autograph from Joly, too. Of course, I told them it was her birthday-present. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Yeah... that would have been me. Heeeh. I was very excited for him. |
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| kemathenga |
Aaah, I guess I know who you were then - and also to whom you were talking. You must have heard us switching from german to english and back, though, eh? Well, we are learning by the minute how to do these things. I MUST speak to Martin Neely about his performance. Maybe I'll write him a letter. Is it possible to buy Dress Slips on the internet or would we have to send our friends to the theatre? | ||||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
Decided I would make this a long review. Because I have virtually no life, and because last night was just a really, really good performance. These are just the bits about Bowman, Jeff and Natalie, for the time being. It's quite a bit.
I really don�t want to say the same things about Simon Bowman every single time, but last night there was a few particularly annoying things that I just have to point out because � I was a bit stunned that he actually did that. The most irritating was The Bargain. If it weren�t for Martin Ball and the bits where Lorraine is actually really funny, that scene would murder me very slowly. Imagine this: Valjean walks into the inn where Cosette is obviously mistreated, beaten, abused, and he keeps a very amused smile on his face the entire time. And I mean the ENTIRE time. As in, he even grinned his way through �Now her mother is with God�. It was a giant moment of WTF. I also think it takes a lot from the scene, because while, yes, it�s quite funny, it�s also very dark humour, and I think it should become evident that the Th�nardiers are dangerous and evil. And Bowman goes �Oh look, you�re FUNNY. We�re all being so funny! This is a comedy.� I�m not against occasional humour, but it has to be in the right places and doses, and it really doesn�t work like this. There were, again, a few vocal issues. I�m really no expert when it comes to vocal technique or anything, but if I hear strong, long notes, I want to hear them end clearly, like, say, with Jeff or David. Or, hm, I DUNNO, Jonathan. I�m so sick of this� Bowman belts out one note, say, �this is all I have KNOOOOO� and then, at some point, it just so happens that his voice fails and cracks slightly. It just always sounds as if he puts so much pressure behind every note, it doesn�t actually sound pleasant. And of course, still chickening out of the �OOOOOONE� in �Who Am I?�. Every time people applaud because it sounds oh, so strong, I want to stand up and explain to them that this is not how it�s supposed to be. Some things that still haven�t changed: He�s still got his shirt open for Fantine�s Death, he still rubs his nose on her neck and kisses her forehead (WTF WTF WTF), he doesn�t seem to care about Cosette during The Robbery, he is accusing everyone else over his misery, he strides around on stage in, as Elbow described it, the �I AM THE HERO. WATCH ME GO.� manner� and what is with the mouth hanging open in The Finale? Valjean is old, not a zombie (to be fair, he technically becomes one a bit later). AAAAAARGH. I want � need! � to see Jonathan again. Okay. Moving on to nicer things. JEFFERT! Oh, the joy when he walked on stage and went �Now bring me prisoner 24601�. It was just the realisation that I was actually going to see Javert ACT tonight, that there would be character development, interaction with other roles, a strong voice not just on the money notes but at any point, a Javert who has a slightly sarcastic streak. Lovely. It�s a bit sad that Jeff, who is just occasionally on as Javert, changes and alters more small things about his performance than Janssens. I love that. It works so well when you know what to do with the character, and he clearly does. It�s very impressive how Jeff, who just is pretty tall, doesn�t need that to make his Javert intimidating and memorable. His voice is doing that job, the only parts when I�m reminded of his height (it really isn�t that obvious in the Javert costume) is when Bowman goes �I�m a stronger man by far!� because, duh, no, and when Davidjolras doesn�t get into Jeffert�s face at �Take this man, bring him through�� like he did with Earl and sometimes does with HPJ. Doesn�t work that well if Javert is actually taller.
Anyway. So, �Stars� was amazing. Just everything about it, how he sang it, how he acted it, not overly frustrated, which I don�t think is right for Javert in that scene, but proud and strong and determined. The �Suicide� was so, so good, too, I don�t even know where to begin. So totally thrown off and now visibly shaken and then trying to keep control and finally slipping away but still keeping all his dignity. Loved how he didn�t look at Fantine once during the Arrest, how he reacted clearly taken aback but still very cool and in a �So be it� kind of way upon meeting Valjean at the barricade, and then there are small things: How he doesn�t say �TAKE HER!� in Fantine�s Arrest, how he doesn�t run to get to the �Final Confrontation�. Oh, so wonderful. And YAY. Natalie as Fantine. If Jonathan had been on as well (and Antony, too), that would have been my current London dream cast. See, I really don�t mind Rebecca at all, I think she is wonderful and I also think she has improved a lot. But Natalie� Natalie just is Fantine to me. There are parts in her performance, in IDAD especially, when she reminds me of Ruthie Henshall so much, but never in the �Oh, someone watched the TAC and is now copying it� way at all, much more that they have similar voice colours and just both are very strong � and very pretty. My God, Natalie actually looks and sounds like the beautiful, almost still childlike girl who is in a situation she never thought she�d find herself in, but tries to keep her chin up and be strong and get through it for Cosette. My favourite part was a really random moment� when Fantine sells her trinket, Natalie was actively selling it, sang �Madame, I�ll sell it to you� with a desperate smile, as in �It breaks my heart, but who cares if it pays for Cosette�s well-being�. And she doesn�t completely freak out at the woman buying her hair at �Don�t touch me�, which I really, really like. Also, there is the transformation from La Blonde to Fantine as a whore: almost without any instinct of self preservation, apathetic, desperate and then hysterically trying to convince Javert, screaming at Valjean, panicking because of Cosette. Her entire performance is just about Cosette, how nothing is allowed to happen to her child. It�s so sad and so beautiful. As is �Come to me�. She is so fragile and hopeful and her voice is so soft there� it�s heartbreaking. Oh, she�s so lovely, it actually makes me sad to see her story end. And, needless to say, I�m ecstatic to have Fantine come on stage in the Epilogue, but that�s also because I couldn�t bear one more minute of seeing Bowman alone on stage, butchering Valjean�s character. HEH. ... to be continued
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| flying_pigs |
Have I ever said how much I love your reviews?
Well I love your reviews! |
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| riverdawn |
Just to be a little fair to the actor, assuming this was Gavin (and as no one mentioned an understudy bishop, I assume it was) - he wasn't "wearing a wrinkle". He just has a somewhat unusual facial structure (rather deep set eyes), which might, from far away, look as though he was furrowing his brow. When you look at him playing the role from closer up, he has a great deal of kindness in his expression. I actually quite love him as the bishop.
But thanks for the review, I was waiting to hear from you about your experience. Also, thanks Eppie for the additional reviews. I love being kept up to date with what is going on. |
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| beyondthebarricade |
Well damn I'm just getting so jealous. | ||||||||||
| kemathenga |
Yes, do continue! It is so sweet to read it and actually can imagine which moment you meant and what it looked like .
And @rivderdawn: of course our review is kind of random since we ... sniff ... only saw it once ( so far) and I'm glad you spoke up on the actor's behalf. We did use our spy-glasses quite a lot but the deep-set eyes obviously escaped us. We are currently browsing the internet for tickets and are met everydate with a "sorry, now tickets available". 
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
Yes.YES.YESYES.YES. I sometimes close my eyes at that bit to escape the horror. Comedy is for the benefit of the audience, not for the actors or the characters. I mean imagine if George Miller laughed at himself everytime he fell over, or if Gavin threw up and then started laughing. Just no. And sarcastic humour is just not Valjean - I don't know what character he thinks he's playing, but it ain''t JVJ except by name.
Lots of people have praised his voice, but I really don't see it. He strains it so much for the high notes, he sings BHH in particular constantly just below pitch (which makes me cringe - being a musician, I have developed rather sensitive ears!) and I spend parts worried that his voice will give out. In contrast, Jonathan is just so lovely to listen to - I would love to listen to a recording of him, but of Bowman??? No chance. Oh, and the OOOOONE thing? Now he's put it down I can't help feeling he holds it on way too long - like till the whole court has comlpetely disappeared. It just doesn't seem to make much sense and sticks out too much. Like, no-one's listening to him anymore - they've all disappeared - so who exactly is he shouting at? I can't believe I am yet to see Jeffert. (Discounting the ITV thing of course ). His dates are never announced much in advance, and I don't live close enough/have enough free evenings to just pop into Queens on a whim to see him. Love reading about him though.
I have a friend who went to see Les Mis on the 23rd (?). It was in fact the second time she'd seen it but she'd pretty much forgotten the first, so it was as good as. She was telling me how brilliant the Valjean was, and I was trying so hard not to go into a Bowman rant (which, trust me, I am very good at) but I failed miserably and probably ruined the whole experience for her. I'm so glad people hear understand
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| kemathenga |
That's something we definitely noticed, too. His voice isn't really up to scratch especially in the high notes. I still, liked BHH because of the dramatic effect. Bowman, as I experienced him yesterday, does not have the range of voice to sing it beautifully, so he sang it dramatically and made it less of a prayer and more of an outburst. I liked that because imhO it is truer to the Brick. Valjean still isn't remotely fond of Marius at that point of the battle and for him to sing an emotional prayer for his protection, even a very beautiful one, is missing the point by several feet. But according to my perception and experience as a singer Bowman does not have much of a head voice, so he can't sing really high and starts aspirating. I'd love to have a comparison, though. Other than Colm Wilkinson, I mean. There are several Valjeans on youtube but it's all random scenes. There will be a german performance in summer I'm looking forward to (not so much to the lyrics but to the experience ).
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
Oh, I agree, it's certainly not true to the Brick, but I don't think that singing it dramatically makes it any closer to Hugo. And, more to the point, dramatic for Bowman means those damned hands.
IMO the best Valjeans are those who don't NEED a head voice. If a guy can't get the top notes, why cast him, when there are so many that can? Jonathan Williams gets those top notes wonderfully (and apparently used to call himself a bass! XD) |
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| kemathenga |
I wish I could hear Williamson myself . I know these kind of bassos, our choir director loves them, who are capable of a falsetto in its real power. And if they THEN are even able to do it in pianissimo ... *melting smily*
No, I wouldn't say that Bowman is much of a singer but after reading a lot of ... well, not much of admiring postings here I was prepared for worse.
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| Eppie-Sue |
LET ME YOUTUBE THAT FOR YOU. | ||||||||||
| kemathenga |
Williamson? Go right ahead!
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